Private Charles Godfrey MM is a fictional

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

soldier, first portrayed by Arnold Ridley in the British television

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...

''. He is retired and was previously a tailor for the Civil Service Stores or the Army & Navy Stores. Godfrey was a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, yet he did work as a stretcher bearer with the Royal Army Medical Corps and earned a Military Medal for taking the wounded off the battle field at the Battle of the Somme. This has earned him great respect among the platoon members and resulted in him being appointed as the

First Aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with a medical emergency, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery until medical services arrive. First aid is gener ...

supervisor. Ridley himself fought at the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

during the First World War.

Personality

Godfrey was born in 1871, and is a gentle, mild-mannered and kindly old gentleman, though more complex than at first evident. He is the only member of the platoon who has retired. In the episode " Branded" it is revealed that he was a

in the

. This revelation initially makes him a pariah. However, during a training exercise, he risks his life to rescue Captain Mainwaring. Later, his sister reveals to the platoon that, far from avoiding service, he earned the

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

during the

, where he served with distinction as a stretcher bearer with the Royal Army Medical Corps, and heroically saved several men's lives while under fire, an accomplishment he plays down modestly. This earns him the respect of the platoon, and leads to him being appointed as

supervisor. Arnold Ridley actually served during the First World War with the Somerset Light Infantry, and fought in the

, where he was severely wounded. These injuries gave a practical reason for his role: it was much easier for Ridley to carry the first aid bag than a heavy rifle. Godfrey is a long-standing friend of Sergeant Wilson, and in the episode " High Finance" he lends Wilson a large sum of money when Mrs Pike is blackmailed by Hodges. He lives in picturesque Cherry Tree Cottage with his hard-of-hearing spinster sisters, Dolly and Cissy. He is clearly very fond of them, and often brings them up in conversation. When provisions are needed, his sister Dolly often provides upside-down cakes. He is immensely loyal to Captain Mainwaring, who often feels quite guilty whenever he has criticised Godfrey: :Mainwaring: ''"If you're not fit for active service, perhaps you shouldn't come at all."'' :Godfrey: ''"I didn't want to disappoint you, sir."'' :Mainwaring: ''"Well done Godfrey."'' ::from the episode " Everybody's Trucking". He served for 35 years either as an assistant in the sports department of the Civil Service Stores (TV) or tailor and assistant in the Army & Navy Stores (radio). :Mainwaring: ''"Occupation?"'' :Godfrey: ''"I'm retired, but I was 25 years in the Civil Service."'' :Mainwaring: ''"Really? Indian or

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

?"'' :Godfrey: ''"Civil Service Stores."'' :Mainwaring: ''"Any previous military experience?"'' :Godfrey: ''"I was several years in the sports department. That meant archery and air guns."'' ::from the pilot episode " The Man and the Hour". An aspect of his old age is his weak bladder, which lets him down and postpones all platoon activity, hence his catchphrase, "May I be excused, sir?", and his tendency to fall asleep can be similarly categorised: "I must have dropped off!".

Medals

Although Private Godfrey rarely wore his ribbons, he was awarded the usual trio of

campaign medals (commonly known as " Pip, Squeak and Wilfred"),The 1914–15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, nicknamed Pip, Squeak and Wilfred after a trio of cartoon characters of the period. in addition to his

for bravery.

Other portrayals

Private Godfrey is portrayed by

Michael Gambon Sir Michael John Gambon (; 19 October 1940 – 27 September 2023) was an Irish-English actor. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivier as one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre. Over his six-decade-long career ...

in the 2016 ''Dad's Army'' film. Bernard Cribbins was set to portray him in a series of re-enactments of otherwise lost episodes of ''Dad's Army'', but had to step away from the project for personal reasons, and was replaced by Timothy West.

References

Notes

Citations

Works cited

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Godfrey, Charles Dad's Army characters Fictional British Army personnel Fictional World War I veterans Television characters introduced in 1968 English male characters in sitcoms